By TCN News,
New Delhi: On 30th march, an anti-AFSPA rally was jointly organized by Sharmila Solidarity Campaign, AISA, AIPWA, RYA, DSF, JNUSU, NEFIS, Voices against 377, NAPM and Right to water campaign, from Mandi House metro station to Jantar Mantar. It was organized as a part of an effort to create a political pressure for repeal of AFSPA in this election season. After the rally, a public meeting was held at Jantar Mantar.
Ravi Nitesh of Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign(SSSC) said that the draconian and inhuman law of AFSPA has been existing for almost 60 years now, Irom Sharmila has been on a hunger-strike for 14 years but the Government remains unbothered. It has not taken any steps to even talk to her. Almost all major parties in the country have been silent about the everyday horror in seven states. But through our rally, we will try to challenge this silence.
Devika Mittal, a DU student and core member of Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign said that while all political parties are talking about development, secularism and corruption, they must know that all these claims and promises hold no meaning in AFSPA states. There can be no development in AFSPA states without the revocation of AFSPA which she said is also the face of corruption in these states. Rupam, a DU student from Assam, stated that the promise of a better future is intertwined with the repeal of AFSPA from these states. Repeal of AFSPA is the only way forward for a better India.
In efforts to urge political parties to take up this issue of AFSPA, an open letter issued by Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign and endorsed by many human rights’ activists and organizations across the country was written to political parties including AAP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, left parties, regional parties of Jammu & Kashmir and North-east, told V Arun Kumar, another student and AISA member.
Anubhuti from JNUSU talked about the human rights’ violations enabled by AFSPA. She talked about the shame of mass-rape case of Kunan Poshpora, brutal rape and murder of Manorama Devi and other cases that the democracy carries. Ram Mohan Rai, Social activist from Haryana, talked about how AFSPA is anti-democratic and everyone who believes in democracy must speak out against it. Students from Kashmir and North-east shared their experiences. Raies ul-haq, a DU student also talked about other similar state-repressive laws including the draconian Public Safety Act, PSA in Kashmir.
During the programme, the Irom Sharmila scholarship that has been set up in the honour of Irom Sharmila and is granted to a post-graduate student who comes from an area with internal armed conflict was also awarded by Dr. Deepti Priya Mehrotra, author of Burning Bright – Irom Sharmila and the struggle for peace in Manipur, and Deepti Sharma of Saheli to Seram Rojesh, a PhD student of Delhi School of Economics. He is from the AFSPA state of Manipur. Rojesh has tried to highlight this issue both through his research works and through activism.
Neha Tickoo, an artist, presented a poetry-dance performance on the struggle and cause of Irom Sharmila during the public meeting.